• Zhong-Yang Shen, Jing Zhang, Hong-Li Song, and Wei-Ping Zheng.
• Department of Organ Transplantation, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin 300192, China.
• World J. Gastroenterol. 2013 Jun 21; 19 (23): 3583-95.

AimTo investigate the effect of bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM MSCs) on the intestinal mucosa barrier in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.MethodsBM MSCs were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats by density gradient centrifugation, cultured, and analyzed by flow cytometry. I/R injury was induced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery for 30 min. Rats were treated with saline, BM MSCs (via intramucosal injection) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α blocking antibodies (via the tail vein). I/R injury was assessed using transmission electron microscopy, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemistry, western blotting and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsIntestinal permeability increased, tight junctions (TJs) were disrupted, and zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) was downregulated after I/R injury. BM MSCs reduced intestinal mucosal barrier destruction, ZO-1 downregulation, and TJ disruption. The morphological abnormalities after intestinal I/R injury positively correlated with serum TNF-α levels. Administration of anti-TNF-α IgG or anti-TNF-α receptor 1 antibodies attenuated the intestinal ultrastructural changes, ZO-1 downregulation, and TJ disruption.ConclusionAltered serum TNF-α levels play an important role in the ability of BM MSCs to protect against intestinal I/R injury.

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